Attune Pharmaceuticals Secures $23M Series B Financing to Advance Oral Therapy ATN-249 for Hereditary Angioedema

VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat) has learned that on January 23, biotechnology R&D company Attune Pharmaceuticals (“Attune”) announced the completion of a $23 million Series B financing round. The round was led by Venrock Healthcare Partners, with participation from new investor LifeSci Venture Partners and existing investors RTW Investments, RA Capital, Boxer Capital, and Tang Capital. Notably, Dr. Rod Wong, Managing Partner at RTW Investments, has been appointed to Attune’s Board of Directors.

Attune is a privately held, clinical-stage biotechnology company dedicated to the discovery and development of novel oral small-molecule therapeutics for the treatment of rare diseases. Founded in 2015 and headquartered in New York, USA, Attune is currently advancing two programs: one targeting hereditary angioedema (HAE) and the other focused on complement-mediated diseases.

It is understood that the proceeds from this round of financing will be used to advance Attune’s pipeline, including the ongoing clinical development of ATN-249, a novel oral plasma kallikrein inhibitor for the treatment of hereditary angioedema (HAE). ATN-249 has been tested in Phase 1 studies, achieving high plasma concentrations and demonstrating favorable safety and tolerability. HAE is a rare genetic disorder that can cause episodic, potentially life-threatening swelling affecting any part of the body.

Current treatments for hereditary angioedema (HAE) are limited by their routes of administration and adverse events, as all major HAE medications are administered intravenously or subcutaneously and may be associated with drug-specific side effects. In Phase I studies, ATN-249 demonstrated the ability to inhibit plasma kallikrein levels in vivo, showing promise for suppressing HAE attacks.

Dr. Bong Koh, Partner at Venrock Healthcare Partners, stated, “ATN-249 demonstrated a highly robust safety, tolerability, and pharmacodynamic profile in Phase I trials. We look forward to partnering to advance this important novel drug toward market approval through co-development.”

Dr. Andrew McDonald, CEO and Co-Founder of Attune, stated, “This financing brings together a distinguished group of investors with unique insights and a long-standing commitment to supporting companies developing novel therapeutics. Based on our recently announced Phase I data, we are confident that the proceeds from this round will enable Attune to advance through Phase II trials, accelerating the progress of our lead clinical program, while also providing funding for our other preclinical discovery efforts.”

Venrock Healthcare Partners is affiliated with Venrock. The fund primarily focuses on investments in public and private healthcare companies, with a particular emphasis on biotechnology firms.

LifeSci Venture Partners, established in 2017, is the early-stage investment arm of LifeSci Partners, focusing on the life sciences and healthcare industries.

RTW Investments is built on in-depth research and focuses on innovative companies that deliver important new products to patients, with current investment priorities including technology platforms and disease areas.

RA Capital, founded in 2001, is a Boston-based investment advisory firm specializing in investments in the life sciences and drug development sectors.

Boxer Capital, a subsidiary of Tavistock Life Sciences, was founded in 2005 and is headquartered in Florida, USA. It invests in biopharmaceutical development companies.

Tang Capital Management is a company primarily engaged in life sciences investment, founded in 2002 and headquartered in California, USA.